


What if we never were?

by ladylangst



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter, Peter Needs a Hug, Sad Peter, Suicide Attempt, but angst first, dad tony stark, eventual tony basically adopts Peter fic, flash is human, there was a mix up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-05-18 11:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylangst/pseuds/ladylangst
Summary: What if Tony Stark never found Spider-Man? What if instead he found Flash Thompson? How will Peter deal with his hero working with his longtime bully? And how will Spider-Man move forward without Iron man’s help? If he can move forward at all that is...





	1. Chapter 1

“Recently there has been talk of Stark industries finally naming an heir for the company. Most of it was assumed to be speculation, but last night Tony Stark held a press conference at his compound to announce his successor. The successor is not biologically related to Mr. Stark, though he has been training with him ever since the accords were put into place. The young man goes by the name Flash Thompson, and it is said that he will not only inherit Stark industries but also the responsibility of being Ironman...”

Peter tunes out the rest of the speech in favor of staring out the classroom window. It’s raining outside, that’ll make going out in his ‘suit’ harder to accomplish. His eyes trail from the window to the television once more before he slips his headphones out of his hoodie and subtly puts them on. There isn’t much to listen to anyways. Flash has been bragging for months about how Tony Stark was going to practically adopt him. Peter doesn’t care about it anymore.

It had hurt at first, of course, that his childhood hero had handpicked his tormentor to succeed him, but who else would he have picked? Flash is really smart, and he had enough money to attend Mr. Stark’s expo, which was where he was discovered.

Peter likes to daydream about what would have happened if he had been the one at the expo instead of Flash. Mr. Stark might notice him. He’d smile and offer Peter an internship in his personal lab. Maybe if things got serious enough Peter would tell him about being Spider-Man. Then they’d work together to make new formulas for his webbing, and maybe a new prototype for his web shooters. Peter likes to think about how it could have been... but it always makes him sad when he has to face reality again.

Mr. Stark has always been a motivator for Peter. He had survived being tortured and returned a better man. He had moved past his mistakes and used his experiences to turn his life around. He had learned to help people. Peter loves that about Mr. Stark.

After his Uncle's death, Peter had been discouraged. He was depressed and didn’t care about anything, but hearing about Ironman and all that he had been through really helped him get himself back together. Mr. Stark inspired him to become Spider-Man so that he could move past his own mistakes to help people too.

Peter wonders if he’ll have the same attitude when Flash replaces his hero?

He hopes so.

The final bell blares loudly throughout the school, forcing Peter from his thoughts. He sighs and begins to gather his things. He’s purposefully slow while he stuffs everything in his bag. He doesn’t want to run in to Flash today. When his stuff is finally packed away, Peter is the last one there.

He exits the classroom with a polite “Have a good day Sir!” In the direction of his professor, and then he’s alone again.

The halls are relatively empty. Usually Ned would be walking with him, chattering away about his newest LEGO set, but he had to stay home sick today. Peter really hates the silence that surrounds him in his friend’s absence.

Soon he reaches his locker. It’s covered in sharpie drawings and hurtful words. He has reported it to the office several times, but after the fifth repainting they told him to just deal with the vandalism. Flash was never punished.

Peter finishes up quickly at his locker before jogging towards the back foot of the school. He pushes the heavy metal slab open with ease as he runs towards the alley next to the school.

It’s where he changes into his suit.

Now don’t get him wrong, it’s not a nice suit by any means, but it keeps his face hidden and it helps with his enhanced vision and hearing. Peter made it himself and he’s really happy that it functions at all.

Yeah, it may not do anything to help with protection and safety, but as long as Aunt May isn’t aware of his activities, that’s okay in Peter’s opinion.

As soon as he enters the alley he tosses his bag to the ground and pulls out his suit. He changes quickly and stuffs his day clothes back into the bag. He webs it to the side of a dumpster and prepares to sling himself around New York.

So what if Flash is Tony Stark’s heir? Peter is Spider-Man and he can still have a good day!


	2. Chapter 2

He really regrets deciding to go out in the rain. It’s difficult, and dangerous, and way too embarrassing. Hopefully all of New York’s nosy reporters are safe at home tonight. Like he probably should be... but then who would stop the bad guys?

Peter slips against the ledge of the building that he was attempting to land on, scrambling to pull himself over the edge. If his hands were bare he’d have less trouble sticking to the dripping walls, but his suit takes in too much water and blocks his enhanced grip. It’s one of the reasons that he dislikes going out in storms .

After he manages to pull himself to safety Peter looks back down to the street below. Only one of the four robbers that he just apprehended are webbed up, but at least that’s one less bad guy on the run.

He should have been able to handle them easily, but they had these super cool weapons. They were made with really advanced tech, too advanced for some common thugs though. If he hadn’t been so busy fighting them he would have probably tried to discuss the power source used for the anti-gravity gun. That thing was freaking awesome!

One of the weapons, a huge laser blaster, had almost taken out Mr. Delmore’s shop, but Peter had managed to stop it in time. It’s a good thing too, he really wouldn’t want all the bad press that would come his way if he accidentally destroyed the best sandwich place in Queens.

He sighs and checks the webbing on the criminal one more time before pulling out his cellphone. He doesn’t even bother looking as he dials the number.

“This is the NYPD, what can we help you with?”

“I’d like to report a bank robbery on 21st street.”

“Thank you for the call, we’ll send someone over right away.” Peter doesn’t say anything else before hanging up. He has to make it back home before Aunt May decides to call him in for dinner.

He shoots a web towards a building not to far away sans tugs on it experimentally. He’s been trying to perfect a new water-resistant formula for his web fluid, but he’s not so sure if it’s safe enough to use yet. He’d rather look like a dork tugging on his webs than like an idiot splattered all over the streets of Queens.

Peter tugs on the web once more before deciding that it’s safe. He jumps from the building and uses his momentum to swing forward. Shooting another web once he begins to fall again. He lives for the feeling of the air whipping past his body as he falls. He can’t even feel the cold through his adrenaline. It’s probably the happiest moment of Peter’s day.

He lets out a whoop as he nears his apartment. He prepares for the moment when he’ll run out of webbing, and then he flips. His stomach drops and for a moment he’s weightless in the air. Then he’s falling towards the building. He feels his hands touch first and he allows his arms and legs to slacken to absorb the force of his landing before bracing them to hold himself in place.

He slides downwards a bit, but his grip keeps him safe in the end. He grins widely and slowly makes his way to his window. He slips through the small opening hidden by his curtains and drops to his floor with a muted thump. His door is still closed and his shoulders slump with relief.

Peter makes quick work of peeling off his sodden suit, tossing it in a pile behind his desk to be washed later. His skin is riddled with scratches and bruises that look just about as bad as they feel. He’s not worried though. They’ll be healed by morning.

He shivers slightly and searches his floor for some warm sweats. He’s always having trouble staying warm now. He read an article once that mentioned something about spiders being unable to thermoregulate, maybe he can’t either? That kinda sucks.

Peter scoffs and tugs a flannel out from underneath a pile of dirty t-shirts. It doesn’t look too wrinkled, so he figures it’s clean enough. He tugs it on as he kicks around his laundry looking for some pants. Soon he’s decked out in his nice, toasty flannel, a pair of sweats, and some slipper socks that he definitely did not steal from May. Nope. Didn’t happen.

He shakes his hair a bit, flinging water all over his room, before pulling his door open. He makes his way to the kitchen, smiling as he sees Aunt May shove a smoking pan under the faucet.

“Hey May, whatcha burning over there?” He asks teasingly.

She jumps a bit and turns to smile at him. “I’m not burning it sweetie, I just wanted to try spaghetti soup tonight. You have to stop being so close-minded about food” she laughs as she finishes talking and turns back to her now soggy pan of charred noodles.

“Whatever! I’m not the one who refused to that casserole at the parent teacher meeting the other night!”

“It was practically alive Pete! It was way worse than my cooking!” She dumps the pan into the trash before tiring to look at him. “Now, how about I order some pizza? I’d suggest Thai, but you’re already ready for bed and that storm outside is ridiculous!”

“Okay, I’ll put on a movie in the living room, want to watch sci-fi?”

“Fine fine, go put on Star Wars you nerd!” She waves her hand at him as she picks up the phone, but Peter knows she loves those movies just as much as he does.

He heads to the living room and turn on the TV. It lights up slowly to reveal the news. He ignores it in favor of pulling out one of the Star Wars DVD’s . Just as he pops it in he hears;

“Tony Stark and Flash Thompson were spotted at a movie theatre earlier tonight leaving the premier of...”

Peter sighs and tunes it out. He doesn’t care about them. Really. Who needs a super cool father figure to go to the movies with? Peter has May, and that’s enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for all of the comments! This was another intro-type chapter, but don’t worry! Things will pick up soon! I loved all of the comments! Thanks you so much! I hope you all liked this chapter as well!


	3. Chapter 3

Peter let’s out a breath of relief when the final bell rings. He can’t wait to put his suit on and do his rounds. All day people have been talking about a party at Liz’s house tonight, and He really doesn’t want to hear about it anymore. Ned had tried to get them invited, but Flash stepped in and ruined it. Who wants to invite the guy nicknamed Penis? No one.

So he’s just going to go out tonight. Maybe something big will happen? There’s bound to be some sort of retaliation after the bank robbery last night, maybe more from the three escaped thugs? Oh! Or maybe he’ll get to see some more of those cool weapons! Of he can get his hands on one maybe he could mess around with the tech a bit! That would so make up for missing the party!

Peter smiles widely at the thought and swings his bag over his shoulder. Ned’s right behind him as he leaves today, and he makes a face when he’s sees Peter’s smile.

“Dude, what are you so happy about all of a sudden? I thought you were disappointed about missing a chance to stare at Liz.”

“Hey! I wouldn’t have stared... too much! And it’s nothing, I just remembered that I have five dollars in my jeans, I might go buy a sandwich from Mr. D.”

“I should have known, you could eat a horse man. Seriously, where do you even put all that food?” Ned laughs a bit as he talks, ducking away from peter’s hand as he tries to hit his friend on the shoulder.

“Come on man! I don’t eat that much! I only had a burger at lunch!”

Ned scoffs. “And all of my fries. You have the craziest metabolism.”

“Whatever. I’ve got to go clean my room before May gets home. Talk to you later Ned.”

“Bye Peter.” Ned says, and they both go out the school doors.

Ned heads toward his mom’s car, but Peter makes his way to the alley again. It takes longer today, since he used the front door, but soon he’s there. He strips quickly and pulls on his spare suit. His other one is still dirty from last night.

As soon as he has his bag secured, he shoots a web and swings up onto the nearest building. It’s sunny out today and Peter basks in the warmth that soaks through his suit to his skin. He shoots out another web and soars over the streets below.

Time goes by quickly, and soon, it’s dark out. He hadn’t found much today, not even a bike robbery. He’s just about to head home for the night when he sees a flash of light across town. It’s big, blue, and perfect for your very own friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Peter slings his way towards where he saw the explosion as quickly as possible. He slows once he nears the area, he doesn’t want the sound of his suit whipping behind him to tip off the trouble makers.

He lands on an old cement overhang and peeks around the edge to see what’s going on. There are three men, two of which appear to be trying to sell the other guy guns? Wait! Woah! There’s a whole truckload of those things! That so cool! And super dangerous. He waits until the assumed leader sets down his weapon and lowers himself to the ground. Just as he touches the ground his phone falls out of his pocket. Siri’s voice echoes around the clearing and Peter cringes.

All three men jump and the two weapons dealers whip out guns. The leader points his at the buyer and asks;

“Did you set us up?!”

Peter jumps forward and raises his hands. “Hey hey! Come on, if you’re going to shoot at somebody, shoot at me!”

The guy pauses for a second then shrugs. “Okay.”

With the gun now directed at him, he shoots out a web and tugs. He’s about to get it when the other dealer pulls out one of the high tech weapons and fires it at Peter. It’s a huge blast. He flies backwards and lands in heap on the ground.

All of the guys rush to their cars. Peter sits up slowly and shakily raises his arm. Just as the weapons truck is about to peel out of the clearing he shoot a web onto the back of it. He’s yanked forward violently as the truck speeds away. He hits several bushes, and just misses a wall when he manages to sort of orient himself.

The second guy is firing off weapons at Peter from the back of the truck and it’s hard to dodge them. He can hear the other guy calling someone for backup. Hopefully they don’t get here anytime soon.

They drive about another block when one of the blasts manages to knock him loose. He rolls on the pavement and tries to stand again. He’s about to shoot another web at the truck when something grabs him from behind. Sharp hooks dig into his shoulders and Peter is airborne.

He twists and turns, attempting to break free, but soon he’s so high up that he’s not sure if falling would be the best option. He struggles to look up at his captor and gasps.  
  
It’s a super creepy guy with wings! Peter barely manages to glance at the guy’s mask and then the guy drops him. His stomach drops and his blood pounds loudly in his ears. Peter can’t turn himself around. His back is to the ground so he can’t even see how close he is to becoming a pancake. He can’t breathe in anymore and he closes his eyes tightly. Hopefully May won’t miss him too mu-

SLAM

The rest of the air is forced from his lungs as he slams into something. His bones burn and his whole body screams at him. Then he’s sinking. The world is closing in around him and he can’t tell which way is up and which way is down. His eyes are open but he can’t see and everything is cold. His chest is tight and he can feel himself getting lightheaded.

Something grips his arms tightly and then he’s free. The world comes to life around him and he’s sucking in air. His chest heaves as he coughs up water. His body shakes violently in the arms of his rescuer. His senses are working in overdrive and he can feel everything.

Once he manages to calm down a bit Peter peels his goggles off of his suit so that his eyes show through his dripping hood. He’s flying through the air again, but this time he’s held gently. He cautiously looks up into the face of Ironman. Oh my gosh Ironman just saved his life. He jerks his head back down and looks over his trashed suit. Oh no. Ironman just saw him epically fail.

Peter doesn’t think he can get more embarrassed than he is right now.

“Wow Tony, looks like Spider-man doesn’t know how to swim!”

...He officially stands corrected. The universe really didn’t have to do that. Peter would have been fine thinking he was right, really.

Of course Flash would be here. He looks over Mr. Stark’s shoulder to see a second suit, noticeably smaller than Ironman’s, flying behind them. This is just great.

They fly a little ways more before landing quietly in a park not to far from where he was dropped. Ironman sets him down on a bench and then turns towards Flash.

“Why don’t you head back to the lab kid, I’m going to have a talk with spider-boy here.”

“Can do Tony. See ya later spider-dork” he jabs at Peter as he flies past.

Once he’s far enough away Mr. Stark turns back towards Peter. He crosses his arms and manages to pull off an annoyed expression even though his face is hidden behind the helmet.

Peter sinks in on himself on the bench and tries not to cry. This really isn’t how he hoped tonight would go. He just wanted to help people and now he’s made a fool of himself in front of his hero. And this is the first time he’s met him! Gosh, he really messed up this time.

Mr. Stark clears his throat, jarring Peter from his thoughts. “Okay, Spider-man? Was it? What in the ever loving f**k do you think you were doing? Cause I’m having trouble working it out. The way I see it, you crashed my apprentice’s weapons bust, and managed to lose all of the suspects. You’re extremely lucky that we were already working on this, or you would have become spider-soup!”

Peter shrinks back from Mr. Stark’s tone. “I’m sorry Mr. Stark sir! I just saw that explosion a while back and wanted to help!”

Ironman’s faceplate flips up and his eyes are angry. “Well _Underoos,_ why don’t you take your sad pajama suit and go home. It’s not responsible for you to go and mess with things that are too big for you to handle. You don’t have any real equipment, any real experience, or any reason to try and be better than you are. You could have gotten seriously hurt just now.

You should be more worried about your own safety. When you go out unprepared you put not only yourself in danger, but others as well. Why don’t you stick to helping out with the small stuff and leave the big stuff to the people who actually know what they’re doing, alright?”

Peter nods so fast that he feels like a bobble head. Mr. Stark seems to take this as confirmation that Spider-Man will stay out of ‘the big stuff’ as he put it, and flies off after Flash.

Peter doesn’t move though. He doesn’t want May to know that he’s been crying.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you liked it! I loved all your comments, and I tried to make this one longer!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter is a bit dark so if you might be affected just skip it! It’s nothing too important, just a bully scene with Flash!

The first thing Peter hears when he walks into decathlon practice the next day, is Flash’s voice.

“Yo Penis Parker! How was the party last night? Oh yeah! I totally forgot! You weren’t invited! Don’t feel too bad Penis, I didn’t go either. I was too busy trying out my new super suit! Tony made it for me, he’s practically family now. I’d say ‘you know how it is’, but you don’t know all that much about family, _do you_ Penis?” His tone is taunting and he finishes his jibe with satisfied sneer thrown towards Peter.

Peter doesn’t do anything in reaction to Flash’s taunts, and quietly makes his way to his desk on stage. Liz glances up at him from her podium while she shuffles notecards and smiles politely. He smiles back, but he knows it probably looks as forced as it feels. Flash glares at him from his chair by the door.

Liz finishes shuffling her notecards and daintily clears her throat. “Okay everyone, now that we’re all here why don’t we start practice. The academic decathlon is coming up fast and I want to do a run-through to show you guys what it’s going to be like. Alright?”

She waits for everyone to give some form of confirmation before continuing, “You all have your bells, I’m going to run through a series of practice questions taken from last years set. Be sure to speak clearly and confidently. Let’s begin.” she looks down at the first card and reads out; “What is the heaviest naturally occurring element?”

Peter taps his bell as she finishes the question. “Geranium?”

Liz smiles. “Correct! Good job Peter! The next question is...”

She continues to ask questions, one after the other, and Peter ends up answering most of them. He knows that it’s kind of awful, but he doesn’t find them challenging. He answers a lot of them, but leaves a few of the harder ones to his teammates so that they can practice too.

He’s happy to be a part of this team and he’ll do everything in his power to help them win. He owes it to them for putting up with his wacky superhero schedule without any explanation. Though, maybe he shouldn’t call it that anymore. He isn’t really a hero. Mr. Stark is a hero, and soon, Flash will be too. Peter doesn’t think that the people of New York would even notice if Spider-Man went missing.

It doesn’t matter. He’ll keep helping them, even if he’s not a real hero like Ironman. It’s what his uncle would want him to do.

He jumps slightly when everyone stands around him and begins to pack up their things. Oops! He totally spaced the end of practice again! He glances at Liz to see if she noticed, but she just continues packing up too. Peter let’s out a breath of relief and grabs his bag.

He’s halfway out the door when something slams into him from behind. He loosens his body and lets himself get knocked to the floor.

He hates this part of the day.

Flash steps over him and pokes at him with his expensive sneakers. His grin is manic looking in the dimly-lit hall, and Peter wonders if anyone has told him that he’d make a good Disney Villain. Perhaps Flash would be flattered and give up his dream of becoming a hero to become and actor!

Peter changes his mind when he feels the sole of the expensive shoe in question crushing his ankle. He lets out a hiss of pain and tries to look like he’s in agony. It must work, because Flash flashes him nasty grin and pulls back his foot.

“What’s wrong Penis? You’re being awfully quiet tonight. Are you sad that I brought up your pathetic excuse for a family? Don’t worry, maybe Mr. Stark could help you too! A charity case is always good for publicity. I could even put in a good word for you, I practically have him wrapped around my finger... _Or_ _maybe I won’t_. I wouldn’t want to inflict you on any more innocent people. It’s a wonder your Aunt hasn’t gone and-“

“Leave my Aunt out of it Flash. What’s your problem!?” Peter regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth.

Flash steps forwards with a predatory glint in his eyes. “My problem, _Penis_ , is you and your pathetic need to be the perfect little teacher’s pet. So why,” He rams his foot into Peter’s stomach, “don’t you,” He can’t fight back, it wouldn’t be fair. “Just do the world a favor,” another kick, “and leave for good.”

Flash kicks him once more before backing away. “This was fun Parker. I’ll See you later.”

Peter watches as Flash saunters down the hall in his shiny expensive sneakers, and he wishes for one moment that he didn’t have to hold back to avoid hurting anyone. But then he feels guilty for the thought and shakes his head. He’s got to get home to help May before she destroys dinner again anyways.

He stands slowly and lifts his shirt to see the dark bruises that litter his abdomen. They don’t look too bad, they’ll be gone in a couple of days. Peter just has to keep them from his Aunt before she freaks and sends his to the hospital. Again.

He lifts his bag from where it’s laying on the floor and begins the long trek towards the front door.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Peter can feel it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this! I’m sorry it took so long, I was working things out plot-wise. I’m going to alternate between major plot events and major emotional events to keep the flow good! I loved all of your comments! Thanks so much!


	5. Chapter 5

Peter smiles at May as she curses and dumps a batch of burnt eggs into the trash. He lightly tosses his bag onto the kitchen table and goes to give her a hug.

“Thanks somuch May, you know I love your cooking, really, but why don’t I bring something that isn’t seasoned with ash for the bus ride?” He snarks as he snags an apple from the counter, smiling cheekily at her while he tosses it from one hand to the other.

She huffs at him and smiles begrudgingly. “Fine fine. Eat your ridiculous, healthy apple. It’s not like I just slaved away over the stove for you. This ash was made with love.” May proves her point by clutching her blackened spatula to her chest.

Peter tries to bite back a laugh, but fails miserably. He slides his snack into his duffle bag and turns back to face his aunt. “Whatever you say. Did you remember to buy enough groceries to last all week? I won’t be back till Friday and I don’t want you to run out.”

She rolls her eyes. “I have enough Pete. Do you have enough money for your trip? Did you remember to pack everything? What about extra clothes? Toothbrush? Shampoo-“

“I’ve got everything packed! I even made sure to pack two extra outfits, just in case.” One of those was his suit. But He doesn’t think that’s what she has in mind when she says extra clothes, so he’s just going to leave that part out.

“Okay. You’ll have to leave soon if you don’t want to miss the bus. Please be safe Honey, and call me every night!”

“I will. I love you May.”

“Love you Pete.” She gives him a hug and brushes his hair a bit with her hand before leaning back to grab his duffle off of the table. He takes it from her and starts to head out.

“Bye sweetie. Be safe!” She calls after him as he slips through the front door. His feet barely touch the ground as he runs down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Once he’s outside Peter slows his pace to a jog and blows a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. He smiles contentedly at the feeling of the Sun’s gentle rays on his shoulders. This is nice. He’s sure that today will be a good day.

He barely takes notice of the people passing around him and soon, he’s at the school. He slows to a walk as he approaches the bright orange bus parked out front, calling out a quick hello to Ned, who’s standing awkwardly beside some of the other team members.

His friend’s face lights up when he sees Peter, and he waves excitedly. “Hey man, are you ready for this? I’m so pumped. Liz has been quizzing us randomly since I got here. I’m 99% sure that she got here first just to make sure no one wasted any study time.”

Peter laughs a bit at Ned’s tone. “I’m sure that’s exactly what happened. How long have you been waiting? I would have been here sooner, but I had to say goodbye to May.”

Ned nods in understanding and shrugs his shoulders. “About an hour? Maybe? My mom was really worried I’d be late. I think it’s an adult thing.”

“Ah, That sucks dude! Do you think we’ll be leaving soon?”

“Yeah, now that you’re here we’re just waiting for Flash.” Ned says.

“Ah.” Peter grimaces and rolls his eyes. “That seems about right, maybe he-“

“Peter!” Liz calls, “How do you convert moles to mass?”  
  
He blinks in surprise but quickly replies. “You divide by the molar mass.”

“Good job!” She praises before quickly questioning another unsuspecting student. He admires her dedication, but hopes she won’t keep this up the entire time. He can already feel the headache coming on...

  
After a long bus ride with Flash’s constant bragging, and Liz’s quizzing, Peter is so ready to relax in their hotel room. He sighs happily when Ned walks over to him with their keycard.

They both grab their bags and shuffle awkwardly through the main lobby. It’s huge and super cool. His eyes catch on all of the shining surfaces and bright colors. His senses buzz and Peter can’t shake the feeling of danger. It’s not immediate, barely there, but persistent enough to keep him on edge.

As soon as him and Ned are safely shut in their room, the feeling goes away. Maybe it was just because of the people? Peter doesn’t think so, but nothing else could have caused it.

He tosses his duffle onto a chair and throws himself face first onto one of the beds. The bedding is pleasantly cool against his face and he doesn’t feel like he’s ever going to leave this spot. Never ever.

His eyes drift closed and he hums contentedly. This is the perfect time to take a nap. He’s barely aware of Ned flopping down on the other bed as he drifts in and out of a light sleep. He’s not sure how long he naps, but by the time he’s fully awake again, Ned is also upright on his bed, flipping absently through a text book.

Peter wants to go back to sleep, then he remembers that bathrooms exist, and he pushes himself up slowly to trudge over to his new favorite room. His feet pad gently on the carpeted floor, but even that pounds through Peter’s head like a drum.

He enters the bathroom, flips the light on, and closes the door behind him. He blinks against the brightness, squinting a bit to see. It’s nice, he guesses. Very white, but that doesn’t really matter. He turns to look in the mirror and makes a face at his appearance. His eyes have purple bags underneath them and his skin is paler than normal.

Peter wonders if he could start up a new career as a vampire. He definitely looks the part.

He looks away from the mirror after sticking his tongue out at it and looks towards the shower. Showering sounds so nice right now. He opens the door and pokes his head out.

“Hey man, you care if I hop in the shower real quick? I’ll only be a couple of minutes.” He says.

Ned opens his mouth to answer, but a knock interrupts him. Peter steps out of the bathroom and swings the door open. He’s expecting to see his teacher, or maybe someone who works at the hotel. What he’s not expecting is Liz, in a cute swimsuit, with a group of his classmates.

He stares in shock for a minute before jolting and coughing in embarrassment. “Uh, hi! What’s ur- what’s going on?” He raises his arm to lean against the door, but misses and stumbles a bit. Peter can feel his face go bright red and he straightens quickly. “Oops, ah, hi?”

The world should do him a kindness and give him an earthquake. Right now. Please.

Liz giggles and Peter’s eyes widen. She smiles through her laugh. “Hey Peter!” she glances behind him, “Hi Ned! We were going to sneak into the pool room for team bonding. Would you guys want to come with?” She asks.

Peter and Ned glance at each other before they both start nodding vigorously. “Yeah of course!” Peter chokes out, just as Ned managed to say “Dude yes!”

Liz smiles again starts to walk away. “Great! You guys get your suits on and meet us down there! This is going to be so much fun!”

He nods dazedly before letting the door fall closed. There’s a second of awed silence before Ned exclaims; “DUDE!”

“I KNOW!”

They both rush to get their swim trunks on, and then they’re running out of the room towards the pool. Ned almost drops his goggles and Peter laughs all the way down the hall. They’re just about to get in the elevator when a door behind them swings open.

Peter feels his stomach drop and the hair on his arm stands straight up. His anxiety flares and he can’t shake the feeling of wrongness.

Just like earlier.

He turns towards the door, expecting to see some sort of monster or burglar, or something. But it’s just Flash.

He steps out of his room with a towel tossed over his shoulders, sporting a pair of blue swim trunks. He looks over at them and nods his head.

“Losers.”

Peter waits till his back is turned to flip him off. Not bothering to hide his grin when Ned stifles a laugh. Liz is right. This is going to be fun.

He ignores the fact that his senses are still going crazy. He probably just needs more sleep. Besides, it’s not like Flash can actually do anything much on a school trip.

At least, that’s what Peter hopes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m so sorry that this took so long! I’ve had a lot of stuff going on and I just couldn’t seem to get this chapter to a point where I was happy with it! There should be more regular updates from now on, and the next chapter will have some action! I hope you like it! Thank you for all of the wonderful comments!


	6. Chapter 6

Peter tries to ignore Flash’s sneer as he climbs out of the pool. His t-shirt is absolutely drenched and it’s hanging low over his swim trunks. It’s really uncomfortable, and he really hates the teasing, but it’d be suspicious if he looked like an athlete when he fakes being so terrible in gym. It’s just not something he wants to deal with. So, the t-shirt has to stay.

He shakes his hair a bit and heads over to the hot tub. Ned’s already over there, and so is Liz and Michelle. He’s pretty sure that Ned is getting quizzed again, but maybe not? Liz has been making a point to try and talk to everyone. It’s nice that she’s so committed to team bonding. Well, Peter thinks everything she does is pretty nice, but that’s not the point here.

He comes over next to Ned and steps down into the bubbling water. It’s just the right temperature and it feels super relaxing. He slides down on the bench and scoffs in annoyance. His shirt floats to the surface as the bubbles push up against it. He pokes the center and pushes it back down. It doesn’t work.

Ned laughs at his expression and nudges his arm. “You know you can take that off right? I know May is kinda protective, but she’s not going to mind you swimming without a shirt on.”

Peter laughs a bit too and shrugs. “What can I say, the wet t-shirt look is in right now. I’m clearly the coolest one in here.” He wiggles his shoulders a bit and sink lower in the water to blow bubbles. He has obviously proven his point.

He shoots back up again a second later when Liz laughs across from him. He’s pretty sure that his face is permanently red now. It’s cool though. He’ll pass it off as overheating.

“I think you’re right Peter here,” she turns to the side and pulls her bag over. She yanks out a thin t-shirt and puts it on over her suit. “Now we’re both rocking the newest trend!” She smiles at him and he thinks he smiles back. He’s not really sure at this point.

“Yeah, um amazing, ah great! You look great! Yep uh-“ Thankfully Michelle cuts him off.

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about. I feel that my suit is better all around. It’s made entirely of recycled materials.”

Peter makes a mental note to get Michelle something really nice for this weekend. Not because there’s a special occasion, but because she exists and she deserves love.

Liz stands and grabs her stuff. “I love your suit too Michelle! I think we should start heading back up though. We need to be up super early tomorrow so that we don’t miss breakfast.” She turns to face everyone else in the pool and repeats her statement.

There are a few groans and complaints, but everyone begins to get out and dry off. Peter stands and wrings out his shirt. The water splashes down and disrupts the bubbles. He steps out of the water and walks over to grab a towel, Ned trailing behind him.

He throws it over his head and attempts to dry his hair. He’s pretty sure that all the water just drips back onto his shoulders though. He removes the towel and brushes his hair out of his eyes. He decides not to try and dry off the rest of himself because honestly, it’s a lost cause, and he tosses his towel in the bin next to the door.

Ned is done a minute later and they both exit the room. They’re hit with a rush of cool air from the hall and Peter shivers. His shirt clings to his skin and the water feels like ice. He will never do this again. Maybe he should fake joining track or something. Then he won’t have to deal with hypothermia any time he wants to swim in front of people he knows.

Ned sneezes beside him and they quickly jog down the hall. The elevator is about to close when Peter runs forward and holds out a hand to stop it. They get inside the elevator and go to push the button for their floor, but it’s already lit up. Peter steps back a bit and accidentally bumps into the other occupant.

“Watch it Penis. Just because you want to hide your flab doesn’t mean the rest of us like getting soaked a second time. I’d say you should join a sport so that you don’t have to hide your shame, but we all know how disastrous that would be.”

Peter’s back stiffens and he steps away from Flash. He will definitely not be joining track now, it was obviously a stupid idea if Flash also thought of something similar. Besides, the cold never bothered Peter anyway. Nope. Not at all.

Ned glares openly at Flash and comes to stand beside Peter. “Back off Flash. It doesn’t take a genius to know that you’re cold because of your soul. That thing could freeze the dessert.”

Peter appreciates Ned’s defense. But this is really going to make it harder for him later. When Flash doesn’t have to behave.

Flash scowls darkly and shoves them roughly as the doors slide open. They wait for him to stomp to his room before making their way to their own.

Once they’re inside Ned starts to change and Peter heads to the bathroom. He really would like to have that shower now.

* * *

 

The next morning goes by faster than he previously thought possible. It seems as if in one moment everyone is eating and waiting on Flash, who’s late again, and the next Peter is answering the final question at the decathlon.

He gets it right.

Everyone is cheering and clapping him and Michelle on the back. They really pulled through for the team and Peter is so glad that he helped. He makes sure to congratulate Michelle too, because she answered just as many questions as he did.

Ned chats excitedly with him as they board the bus to head to the monument. He doesn’t remember much, but he hasn’t stopped smiling since they won.

When they finally make it to the monument they’re all buzzing with excitement. Well, except for Michelle. Peter tries asking her if she’s going to come up with them, but she says something about “not wanting to support something made by slaves”. He lets it drop after that.

Everyone follows their tour guide to security, and Ned laughs a bit when Flash doesn’t want to send his phone through. Peter smiles too, but refrains from laughing. He’s not exactly okay with letting his phone go through either. He broke his old one the first time he went out with his web formula, and if he breaks this one May said he’s not going to get another.

He drops it into the bin anyways and lets the guard check him over. He’s the last one to be looked over, so as soon as he’s done they board the elevator.

As the doors slide closed the feeling of wrongness roars into existence. His nerves vibrate with the feeling of imminent danger and Peter doesn’t know what to do. His eyes dart rapidly around the elevator, but nothing appears unusual. They’re rising quickly, and he thinks for a moment that they might reach the top unscathed.

They’re about 3/4 of the way up when Peter sees it.

Flash’s backpack is glowing purple. Peter’s eyes go wide and he reaches out to grab Flash’s arm. But it’s too late. The glowing gets brighter and brighter and then there’s a bang.

An explosion.

The elevator rattles dangerously and shakes to a stop with the flare of light. Half of the compartment looks to be falling apart with remnants of glowing embers.

His classmates are shouting and it rings through Peter’s head in time with his screaming senses. He stumbles into Flash and grips his arm tightly to keep from falling.

The other boy glares at him murderously, but doesn’t shake him off. He offers Peter a hand and steadies him. He then turns towards everyone else.

“Hey! Everybody calm down and shut your mouths! We need to stop moving around just in case the elevator isn’t structurally stable.” Flash turns towards the tour guide and asks; “Are there safety measures put in place for an event like this?”

The woman nods and speaks up as well. “We are very safe and everything is going to be fine. I’m going to contact someone at the top and see what they can do, right now we just need to stay calm.”

She reaches for a radio on her belt and begins talking rapidly. Everyone else shifts restlessly in place. Ned stands stock still beside him and Peter tries to give him a reassuring look, but it’s more like a grimace due to the thrumming in his head. He’s sure that they’re not out of danger yet, and he doesn’t know how to help. A feeling of extreme anxiety floods his veins and claws it’s way up his throat.

The tour guide stops her rapid fire discussion over the radio and addresses the group again. “Okay everyone, we’re only about six feet from the top. We’re going to open the hatch at the top of compartment and climb out one at a time. They’ve propped open the doors up there. All you’ll have to do is let them pull you up. Let’s go.”

She’s not tall enough to reach the hatch, so she instructs Flash on how to do it. He gets it open easily enough and drops gently back down.

He gets on his knees and gestures to the girl beside him. He boosts her up to the opening, but she’s having a hard time getting on top. Peter comes over and helps to lift her through. Once she’s been pulled to safety he offers a hand to the next student.

Adrenaline helps him and Flash get the rest of the students to safety. They have a bit of trouble with Ned, but he makes it through okay. Soon, it’s only Peter and Flash left in the compartment. They already forced the tour guide through.

It’s a good thing too, because the feeling of danger has only increased with every person they’ve sent up. He lets out a breath and turns to Flash.

“Come on. I’ll give you a hand up.” He offers.

Flash gives him a calculating look and slowly shakes his head. “No way Penis. I may not like you very much but I’m technically a hero in training. It’s my responsibility to make sure that civilians are safe first. That includes you.”

Funny, Peter was thinking the same thing. But he notices the determined look in his classmate’s eyes and gives in. He’ll just have to pull Flash through once he’s up.

He nods jerkily and steps up to Flash’s proffered hand. He easily pulls himself onto the top of the elevator and almost smiles. He turns and kneels down to pull Flash up, but his senses go off like a gun. And for a second it’s quiet.

Then the elevator falls.

Peter shoots forwards and latches onto Flash with one hand. The other grabs at one of the metal bars on the shaft walls. Peter holds on as tightly as possible as the compartment disappears below them.

The people at the top of the monument are shouting and calling down to them, but Peter can only look down and Flash with wide eyes. The other boy stares back at him with equally wide eyes. His expression is frozen in shock.

Peter tightens his grip on Flash’s arm, hoping that it’s enough. They’re too far down for anyone to reach them now, and no one would be able to pull up Peter with the weight of Flash. He doesn’t know what to do, and his breath comes in rapid gasps.

Flash grabs onto Peter’s arm as well and tried to meet his eyes. “H-hey Parker. It’s going to be fine. Calm down and just breath.” Flash says in a voice that’s not much calmer than Peer feels. It works though, and he slows his breathing.

It’s okay. Everything is fine. He caught Flash and someone is going to help them. His eyes raise to look at the opening above them. Several workers and security guards are calling down to them, telling them to stay calm and that help is on the way.

He tries to nod at them, but ends up looking back down to Flash. “Are you okay? Did you hit anything when the compartment fell?”

“No. How about you, you didn’t dislocate your shoulder did you?” Flash asks.

Peter shakes his head.

“Good. Try not to move to much. We’re going to be okay.”

Peter sighs and looks back up to the top. There still isn’t anyone to help them up. Peter’s arms are starting to ache from the weight of holding both Flash and himself up. It’s not as hard as it would be if he didn’t have super strength, but the stress on his joints from the sudden weight and fall is hindering him.

They hang there for what feels like forever, but Peter is certain it has only been about fifteen minutes. All of a sudden he can hear excited shouts and screams from up top. He raises his head to look at the opening.

He can barely make out the voices when he hears someone exclaim; “It’s Iron Man!”

Peter almost sags in relief. A couple of seconds later a soft buzzing can be heard and Peter can see Iron man coming through the opening. He smiles tiredly as the hero flies carefully into the shaft. Once the hero is hovering next to them the faceplate slides up to reveal Mr. Stark’s face. He almost looks concerned.

Mr. Stark glances from Flash to Peter and let’s out a breath. “Okay, first of all, can you hold on a bit longer kid?” He waits for Peter’s nod before moving. “That’s good. I’m going to grab Mufasa here around the waist, and then you can let go, is that alright?”

Peter nods again and watches and Mr. Stark flies to get Flash. As soon as he’s sure that Flash is safe, Peter lets go of his arm and swings his hand up to join the other on the metal bar. The bar creaks a bit, but Peter’s not worried. His enhanced grip should keep him steady a bit longer.

He watches as Flash is flown to safety. He’s set up on the ledge and pulled in by the guards. Once Flash is secure Mr. Stark turns back to Peter. He’s about halfway to him when the bar that Peter is holding shifts and breaks. And then he’s falling through the air, broken bar in hand.

He can’t hear anything through the blaring of his senses. His eyes try to focus on something, anything, but it’s all moving by too fast.

He can’t grab anything.

It’s going by too quickly.

He’s going to die.

And then there’s an arm around his waist and voice in his ear.

“Hey, hey. You’re all right kid. I need you to breath with me. In and out, okay? You’re good, it’s okay. I’ve got you, we’re good. I’m going to fly you up now, okay?”

Peter looks at Mr. Stark with wide eyes and nods a bit shakily. He coughs a bit and tries to get his breathing back to normal. Mr. Stark just saved his life.

Peter gasps. Tony Stark, iron man, just saved his life.

He turns his head towards Mr. Stark and stumbles over his words. “Oh my gosh Mr. Stark thank you so much. You just saved my life. Thank you so much Mr. Stark. It’s an honor to meet you. Thank you for saving me. Oh gosh. Hi.”

“Whoa, slow your roll kid, no need to thank me. Let’s get you up there with the rest of your class alright?” 

Mr. Stark flies up the shaft quickly, and in no time at all Peter’s being pulled to safety by the guards. Once he’s standing steadily on the floor his classmates surround him.

“Peter! Are you okay? How did you-“

“Dude you totally just saved-“

“Peter that was amazing! You’re like super strong-“

”Flash! You and Peter just-“

He whips his head back and forth, trying to pinpoint each voice, but it’s too loud.

Everything starts moving too fast for anyone to register, and suddenly the teens are being brought down to the ground.

There are fire trucks and news vans all around the monument. Michelle is there and then so are their guardians. Everything blurs together.

At one point he’s brought over to an ambulance to get checked over, and then Aunt May is next to him. He just wants to sleep.

He’s listening to May’s worried babbling and he nods every now and then to assure her that he’s okay. He turns his head away from May to glance at everybody else. Nothing really stands out, just concerned parents and bright lights. He turns his head once more and pauses.

Tucked behind one of the ambulances stands Mr. Stark and Flash. Flash is seated on the lip of a truck with a blanket wrapped around him. Mr. Stark is gripping his shoulders tightly and seems to be checking Flash over like a concerned parent.

Peter didn’t know that they were that close.

It almost aches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wrote this super fast because I got a really nice comment after the chapter I just posted and it inspired me! So here you guys go! I loved writing this one! I hope you like it! I wanted to show a bit of the maturity that I think Flash would have gained after being mentored by Tony, and I wanted to show how the ridicule from Iron man and Flash (along with the lack of hero internship) May have affected Peter’s confidence as a hero!


	7. Chapter 7

The drive back home feels longer now than it did before. Peter sighs and rests his head against the window of his aunt’s car. He had wanted to stay at the hotel, Mr. Stark payed for extra rooms so that everyone’s parents could stay the night as well, but Aunt May has to work tomorrow. So he has to return home too.

He glances over at his aunt, her hands are gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles are turning white. He smiles at her and looks away. A jolt of guilt shoots through his chest. He really shouldn’t be complaining too much. He did almost fall down an elevator shaft. If Peter we’re Aunt May, he’d be worried too.

He absently watches the cars pass by his window, feeling soothed by the lights shining in the dark. His arms ache from earlier, but he can’t position them comfortably. He reaches out takes May’s hand. If he can’t be comfortable there’s no reason she can’t.

The ride passes quickly after that. Peter is pretty sure that he dozed off for a bit, but he doesn’t feel any more rested when they get home.

He sluggishly pulls himself out of the car and follows his Aunt up to their apartment. The rooms are dark when they enter, but Peter can see fine. He tosses his bag into his room while May turns on the lights and then heads back out to the living room.

May glances at him as he walks in and casually continues to light some candles. By casually, Peter means not casually at all.

“So,” she starts, “Are you okay? Do you need to talk to someone about what happened? Is it too soon?”

Peter tries to give her a reassuring look. “I’m okay. I’m just tired is all.”

“If you don’t want to talk to me it’s fine, we can get you a therapist. That Stark would have to pay for it too, since this is his fault. Anything you need and I’ll make sure you have it. Just say the word and I’ll-“

“I’m okay May, I really am. You don’t need to blackmail Mr. Stark.” He says, cutting her off mid rant. She gives him a concerned look despite his words and insists on staying up with him to watch Star Wars. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her no.

After the movie Aunt May fusses around him for at least an hour before she finally concedes that it’s time to go to bed. He hugs her tightly and tries to ignore her shaking shoulders. She pulls away and smiles at him warmly before pushing him gently towards his room with a strict reminder to brush his teeth.

He waits until she goes into her room and then passes the bathroom by to slip into his room. Brushing his teeth can wait until morning. This has been such a long day. All Peter wants to do is sleep. Preferably for a week, but he’ll settle for a solid 5 hours.

He kicks his bag away from his door and shuts it softly behind him. The room is dark and quiet, it’s perfect. He shrugs off his hoodie and kicks his way out of his jeans. Then he stumbles over to his beautiful blessing of a bed to collapse.

Cotton sheets have never felt more luxurious.

His eyes fall shut as his body sinks into the mattress. His last coherent thought is that he’s so glad that he’s excused from school tomorrow.

_*CRACK*_

_The bar snaps and Peter is falling. The air whips around his body as the interior of the elevator shaft blurs past him in a torrent of black and silver. His wrist bangs into the wall and he almost smiles. That’s a relief, it’ll be fine, his web-shooters are still hidden under his sleeves._

_He raises his arms and aims towards a sturdy looking support beam that’s approaching quickly. He fires, but nothing happens. The beam rushes past him and Peter watches it go with barely controlled panic._

_His heart pounds heavily in his chest and blood roars in his ears as he tries to shoot again, and again, and again. It’s not working. It’s- His- they’re, the web-shooters aren’t working! What’s happening?! They were fine this morning! He used them to patrol around the hotel!_

_His eyes rapidly dart about the shaft, trying desperately as he falls, to find anything that could help him._

_A humming sound fills the shaft and reverberates through Peter. Suddenly Ironman is in front of him, hovering just out of reach. With an unrecognizable look in his eyes._

_“Help!” Peter gasps, reaching frantically for his hero. Please help me Mr. Stark!”_

_The man laughs coldly in his face and then sneers. “Why would I save a nobody like you? You’re a sorry excuse for hero spider-man. Pathetic. Go on, try and save yourself. Wait! You can’t even do that, why are you even a hero? No one needs you. You deserve to fall.”_

_Oh. The look was cruelty. Maybe it wasn’t so unrecognizable after all._

_Peter gasps and chokes on his breath. He shakes his head rapidly in denial, attempting to force the cruel words away. He reaches out blindly to grab something, anything, to save himself, and then he’s on the ground._

_The world fades around him, turning ashy and gray. His head spins and his gut churns uncomfortably. All he can see is Flash wrapped up tightly in a hug from Mr. Stark. He reaches for them, but in vain. The world has already faded away._

Peter starts awake, shooting up in his bed, arms stretched forward. His breaths come in quick gasps. He brings his arms close to himself and grasps his blankets tightly in his fists. Tears roll down his cheeks and splash onto his covers. He holds back a sob. Why is he so upset? He just is? Maybe it has something to do with his long week mixed with the incident from earlier, but all he knows for sure is that he could really use that hug that Flash received right about now.

That isn’t going to happen though, so Peter wipes at his face with his already-damp sheets and slumps back onto his pillow. He shuffles around a bit before settling on his side. His wall stares back at him unsympathetically.

He shuts his eyes tightly and slows his breathing. His heart beats loudly and his thoughts refuse to slow down. At this rate, he’ll be awake for the rest of the night. Peter can’t help but feel that tomorrow is going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this is super late, I’m sorry! I’ve been taking really hard classes and I’ve had a major case of writer’s block! I’m not really happy with this chapter, and it’s a bit short, but it helped me overcome the block and the next chapter will be loads better! I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! *hugs*


	8. Chapter 8

Peter’s tired the next morning, but he still manages to choke down the plate of slightly undercooked pancakes that Aunt May offers him. He smiles at her tiredly at her. She looks concerned. He turns before she can ask how he’s doing, again, and sits at the table.

The room is bright with sunlight and it’s causing his head to pound. At least he doesn’t have to go to school today. May shifts and reaches down to ruffle his hair. He would complain, but if he’s being honest, it already looked awful.

She lets her hand fall and sighs. “I’ve got to go into work now, I tried to get it off but they really need me. Are you going to be okay here?” She asks with a slight furrow in her brow.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Probably won’t go out much, I think I’ll just stay in bed.” Peter replies. He’s totally not going to stay in bed though. That would be a waste of some perfectly good villain-busting time.

“Okay, call me if you need anything! Bye Pete!”

Peter doesn’t look up again as she goes out the door. He lifts his fork to his mouth and winces a bit. His shoulder is sore from yesterday. It’s probably just bruised. It should be broken, but his healing factor and super strength kept that from happening. What a relief.

He finishes his pancakes and pushes away from the table. The clock on the stove reads 10:23. That’s good. He can change into his suit and go out for a bit.

He rushes to take a quick shower and throws on his makeshift suit. It’s a bit beaten up and torn, but it’ll hide his face. He adjusts the mask in his mirror and opens his window. It’s sunny out, and warm. This’ll be a good day.

He flips out onto the wall and shoots a web out towards a building not too far away. The wind rushes past him as he swings. It feels wonderful. Peter smiles and ignores the pain in his shoulder. He makes it several buildings down without there being any activity, so he switches to a busier street.

There are more people now, the traffic is terrible. Peter swings himself up and perched on the edge of a building. He watches the people walk by, waving at a few that notice him. He’s not exactly a real hero, so he goes mostly unnoticed.

About an hour passed and all Peter has done is stop a purse snatching, so he decides to move up the block a bit. The lady whose purse he saved is very grateful, and before he can leave shoves a churro into his hand. He laughs and thanks her.

He eats it while he watches the next block. It’s literally the best churro that he’s ever eaten. And that’s not just because it was gift from someone he helped. Well, it is. But no one else needs to know that.

Peter finishes his snack and looks down at the street. Dozens of people pass below him constantly. He doesn’t spot anything happening at first, but then he spots a man down by the crosswalk. He isn’t paying attention to what’s going on around him. Peter frowns and leans forward a bit.

The man swipes angrily at his phone and misses the blinking of the stoplight. He goes to take a step forward and Peter lurches forward off the building. He makes it to the man just in time to yank him back. A taxi rushes past where the man would have been and Peter sighs in relief.

The man, however, isn’t in as good of a mood. He rounds on Peter and shoves him away. It’s not enough to actually move him, but he pretends to fall back anyways. The man scowls at him and shoves his phone into his pocket.

“What do you think you’re doing? Keep your hands off me freak! Go play somewhere else. Some of us have actual jobs and we don’t need a menace like you making us miss the crosswalk. I’ll be late now!” The man spits out at him in an angry breath.

Peter apologizes and goes to leave, but one of the other pedestrians waiting to cross grabs his arm and smiles at him.

“I don’t think he’s having a very good day, so ignore him. He’d be even later with a trip to the hospital if you hadn’t helped. Keep up the good work!” The man says. He’s super tall, with a blue baseball cap on. Peter nods his thanks and swings back up to his perch.

‘Man, that was nice of that guy. He looked kind of familiar’ Peter thinks as he settles back down. It’s probably nothing though.

The next couple of hours pass slowly, and soon it’s time for him to go home. He’s several blocks away now, and it takes him awhile to get back. The sky is nice right now. It’s shifting from blues to pinks and oranges. Peter loves it.

He slows his pace to gaze at the sky. The air is cool and soothing. This is his favorite part of the day, well, bar the churro moment. That was legit the highlight of his year.

Despite his slower pace, Peter makes it home quickly. He slides in his window and shrugs out of his suit. It’s all sweaty and gross, so he chucks it in his laundry bag and throws on some sweats and a t-shirt.

It’s already 9:06, but Aunt May won’t be back for at least another hour. Peter decides that he’s not hungry enough for dinner, so he settles down on the couch and turns on the tv. There’s nothing good on, so he switches it to the news. Not even twenty minutes and later he’s fast asleep on the couch.

* * *

 

The next morning comes way too fast. Peter wakes to May cursing in the kitchen and he smiles as he stretches. His shoulder pulls uncomfortably and his neck is stiff, but overall he feels pretty rested.

That won’t last long. He has to go to school today. Maybe no one will have heard about what happened at the monument. If people find out that Peter saved Flash, he’ll never get a moment of peace. Flash will make his life miserable to mend his masculinity.

Peter shudders at the thought and rolls off the couch. He thuds onto the floor. It’s freezing. Ugh. He stumbles up and heads over to his room. He shucks off his pajamas and digs around his laundry until he finds a clean pair of jeans. He matches them with a striped polo shirt and heads to the bathroom to get ready.

By the time he’s out Aunt May has already left for work. There’s a note on the counter for him along with a packed lunch. He smiles and stuff both into his backpack. He turns off all the lights and makes sure that he has his key before leaving the apartment.

He rushes down the stairs and out the door, taking his route to school at a jog. He almost runs into a business man and smiles apologetically as he passes by. It’s cooler out today and Peter’s arms are freezing. He really should have grabbed a jacket. Hopefully it will warm up later.

A couple of minutes later Peter hogs up the school steps and enters the school with the mass of students arriving. He pull his bag closer to himself as he tries to squeeze between people. His locker isn’t too far away, but everyone here walks so slow.

Eventually he makes it to his locker and he’s able to grab his books. He turns to head to class, but someone shoves him roughly against the lockers.

Peter’s knee jerk reaction is to fight back, but he forces himself to relax. This is a student, not some thug. He pretends to stumble and fall, dropping his books in the process. His lifts his head to look at his attacker, Flash, of course. The other boy is glaring viciously at Peter.

Flash spits down at him and kicks His books around. Several assignments get crumpled up in the process. He stomps his foot down hard on Peter’s leg and leans his weight on it. Flash bends over and yanks Peter up by the shirt so that his mouth is close to Peter’s ear.

“Don’t you dare think for a second that we’re anything close to friends now. You may have helped out some at the monument, but you’re still a pathetic loser. You better not spread around what happened Penis. I mean it. Or else you’ll get your ass kicked.” He growls.

Peter flinches back a bit and glares up at Flash. Before he can say anything in return, the bell rings. Flash presses down on his leg once more, so hard that Peter swears he can feel it crack, and leaves to get to class.

Peter let’s out a sigh and begins to gather his things. He’s almost done when someone kneels down beside him. He glances over and turns bright red. Liz is gathering the rest of his books for him.

She smiles at him and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Hi Peter. I saw what Flash just did and I wanted to let you know that he’s just a jerk. Also, thank you for helping get us all out of that elevator safely.”

Peter gapes at her and stutters a bit before replying, “Y-yeah! No problem! I’m just glad everyone made it out alright. How was your day off yesterday?” He asks as they stand.

She hands over his books as they start to walk down the hall. “It was great! I just slept for most of it though. My dad didn’t want to let me out of his sight. It was kind of annoying, but I can’t blame him. How about you?”

Peter mentally makes a face. “About the same actually.”

“I think that everyone might have just taken a relaxing day! I’ve got to get to class now, talk to you later Peter!” She says before turning down another hall.

Peter smiles and ignores his throbbing leg. Today will be a good day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know you’re all waiting for some more action, but this chapter actually has a super important part! If you can figure out what it is, tell me in the comments and I’ll post another chapter on Christmas! Please let me know if you liked it!


	9. Chapter 9

The end of the school day can’t come fast enough for Peter. He’s been on edge all day after his encounter with Flash, and he can’t help but feel that something is going to happen. So, as soon as the bell rings he jumps out of his seat and practically runs out the door.

He flies down the hall, sending apologetic glances towards the people he bumps in to. He reaches the door in record time and pushes it open with more enthusiasm than necessary.

It’s warmer out than earlier and Peter basks in the sun as he heads towards the closest alley to change. When he reaches the opening to the alley he has to step over several old pizza boxes. It smells really gross, but the flies seem to like it. At least someone is benefitting from it.

Peter pulls off his backpack and reaches in to grab his suit. It’s not at the top like it usually is, so he digs deeper. He can’t find it? That’s not right, where- oh! He left it in the laundry! This sucks! He sighs and kicks at the ground. He’ll have to go back home and get it.

He tosses his bag over his shoulder and starts jogging again. This time in the direction of his apartment. It takes about seven minutes to get there. And Peter smiles brightly when he finally makes it inside.

He shoves his door open, tosses his bag on his bed, and grabs his suit from his laundry basket. He raises it to his face and sniffs it apprehensively. His nose scrunches up and he knows he’s making a face, but it’s isn’t that bad. If anything the criminals deserve the mild discomfort it will cause. Because you know, they’re criminals and stuff.

Peter shrugs. He changes quickly and makes sure to lock the front door before climbing out of his window. He’s wasted about 20 minutes because of this. At least he didn’t have the suit on him all day. He talked to Liz! She would have run away screaming if he’d been carrying it. Flash could have turned it into another cruel nickname. Putrid Parker? He shakes away the thought and starts to shoot towards the main roads.

He’s several blocks away when he first starts to notice something off. His senses are buzzing slightly. In the distance he can see someone flying towards the harbor. At first he thinks it’s Iron man, but it’s not. It’s Flash is his suit from Mr. Stark. Peter isn’t sure why, but he feels an awful crawling sensation come over him. He leaps from the building he’s on and hurries after Flash.

By the time he makes it to the harbor, he’s lost sight of the other sort-of-hero. There’s only one ferry just leaving though, so he jumps onto the side and climbs up to the main deck.

It’s crowded. There are hundreds of people milling about the space. Peter tries to focus on anyone that’s acting suspicious, but like, 90% of people act weird in New York, so it isn’t an exact science.

Just as he’s about to go in for a closer look at this one guy that totally looks shady, there’s a huge tearing sound. His head screams. A beam of light passes through the level briefly, and then the ferry creaks ominously. Peter ignore the shouts and screams to stare at the smoking crack in the ship. This isn’t good.

He swings himself towards the nearest window and checks outside. He just catches a glimpse of the creepy winged dude leaving, carrying some other guy, before the ground starts to tilt. Peter looks towards the water, it’s coming closer. He quickly raises his head to catch a glimpse of the vulture guy one more time, all he sees his a hard, glaring face, and then he’s gone.

Peter turns and immediately starts shooting webs. He’s not sure where exactly the best support points are, so he fired randomly at whatever looks sturdy. He catches one kid that’s about to fall off the edge before continuing firing webs down the ship. As he goes he shoots several webs towards the very bottom of the ship, making a bet just in case anyone else falls.

When he reaches the hull of the ship, everything slowly comes to a stop. The entire ship seems to hold its breath for a moment, and then Peter smiles. Maybe everything will be okay- a web snaps. One web. Then another, and another, and then all of his webs are coming down like dominos. People are screaming again and he feels so scared.

He desperately fires off more webs, holding them together as tightly as he can. The ships pulls heavily on his arms and his sore shoulder starts to burn. He wants to let go so badly, it there are people crying for help and kids and Peter can’t just let them get hurt. Where the heck is Flash?!

He pants and and tries to take deep breaths but his body is being forced apart and he can’t move anything. His arms shake and tremble.  
He’s about to fall when he hears a faint buzzing. The blaring noise in his head eases. The ship starts to come back together.

Peter hangs limply until the ship is relatively stable, and then he lets himself fall. Several people rush up to him to ask if he’s alright, but he waves them off.

“I’m okay! I’m fine! We’ve got to get everyone off the boat, does anyone know where the lifeboats are?” He asks.

Several people shout answers at him, and then he’s helping everyone to safety. A couple of rescue boats arrive and Peter helps them gather everyone that hasn’t made it off the ship yet. He thinks he sees Iron man at one point, but he’s too tired to tell.

When everything is finally cleared up, Peter leaves. He’s taken to shore by one of the rescue boats, and he makes sure to thank the workers profusely. He’s dead tired, and wants to go home, but he spots two figures up on a nearby rooftop. It’s Iron man and Flash. He better go let them know that everyone made it back alright. So that Mr. Stark can get back to his work.

Peter slings up to them and lands heavily on the rooftop, both men turn to look at him with faint annoyance and some confusion. He notes that Flash looks flushed and upset, his eyes are glassy. He looks like he’s about to cry. Oh no. He’s just interrupted something important.

He shifts nervously and turns to face Mr. Stark, keeping his eyes towards the ground.  
“Um, Mr. Stark sir, the last group of people have been dropped off by the rescue crews. Everyone is okay. I just thought you might want an um, update?” His voice is squeakier than usual. This is embarrassing.

Mr. Stark opens his mouth to say something, but Peter speaks over him. “Well, that’s all, gotta go, bye!” He rushes out, then jumps off the roof and shoots off towards his neighborhood. It’s late and May will start to worry if he’s not home soon.

Though that isn’t the only reason he’s running off so fast. He’s so tired and he really doesn’t want to get yelled at again by Mr. Stark. Not that Mr. Stark would ever do anything without a good reason. He’s such a great hero. Peter just doesn’t want to risk it right now. Just in case.

Besides, he seemed to be having a serious talk with Flash. Peter definitely wants to stay out of that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several people guessed right, so here’s the chapter! I hope you liked it! I laughed at what some of you commented! It was definitely not Tony Stark in the baseball cap. Merry Christmas everyone!!!! I love all of your comments and they make me super happy! Have a good holiday! (Also I typed this on my phone and it’s barely proofread, let me know if there’s anything major wrong with it!) hugs!


	10. Chapter 10

_“Yesterday afternoon a ferry was viciously attacked by an unknown group of criminals with dangerous new weapons. It’s suspected that this attack is connected to the robbery committed earlier this month._

_Flash Thompson, Iron man’s successor, was present and attempting to keep everyone safe. Despite this the ferry was still damaged beyond repair and would have gone down if it hadn’t been for the quick thinking of Spider-man._

_The hero was able to keep the ship from sinking, while rescuing civilians, until Iron man arrived. Witnesses later stated that they saw Spider-man helping load the rescue boats until every last passenger was back to safety._

_Could we have been misjudging our friendly neighborhood Spider-man? To some, It’s still up for debate, but to others he’s the reason they’re alive._

_We’ll be getting more information later tonight when Iron man makes his statement. Some people are theorizing that Flash’s status as heir to Stark industries might be under revision...”_

Peter stares at the TV is shock as the journalist continues his report. He can’t believe it. That was the probably the nicest story that anyone has ever written about him! He smiles so wide that he feels like his cheeks are pulling apart. This is amazing!

He stands and strikes a pose, putting a hand to his chin. “Why yes Mr. President, I did have dinner with Thor last week.”

“...”

“Of course I can introduce you two! I am a member if the Avengers!”

“...”

“Mr. Stark was just talking about-“

“Peter?”

Peter jumps and whirls around, staring sheepishly at May. She’s looking at him like he’s got a few screws loose. “H-hi May! How’s it going, was work okay?” He asks in a squeaky voice.

She kind of shakes her head and looks away as she places her bag on the table. “It was pretty good, how about you Hun, how was your day?”

“It was great!” Oops, that was probably a bit too enthusiastic. As far as his aunt knows, Peter has been home all day, bumming out in front of the tv.

“Really?” She doesn’t seem too skeptical, “Did you see the news? It’s awful what happened to that ferry, one of my coworkers was on board. She said Spider-Man saved her son. You like him right?”

“Yes-uh yup. He’s cool” Peter stumbles over his words, blushing like a moron. “I’m going to head to bed now, I’m pretty tired, G’night May!” He makes a beeline for his room.

“Already? Alright, good night Pete. Don’t forget to do your homework!” She calls after him.

“I won’t!” He slips into his room and shuts the door gently behind him before flopping into his bed. He smiles giddily at the ceiling and lets his mind wander.

Being a hero has been really hard so far, harder than he thought it would be. Plus, most people think he’s hurting more than he’s helping. But now he’s actually helped people! A lot of people! And Mr. Stark was there to see it!

Sure, he hasn’t reached his goal yet, but now he’s a whole lot closer to being a real hero. Peter sighs and closes his eyes. He saved someone’s life. He made a difference. His uncle would be proud. And maybe one day he’ll have a super hero mentor to be proud of him too. Like Flash does.

Peter frowns and opens his eyes. He had forgotten about Flash. The journalists had mentioned his internship coming under question.

He has mixed feelings about that. Sure, Flash isn’t the nicest guy, not even close, but he’s always taken being a hero seriously. He was just trying to help yesterday. Those weapon guys are ridiculously scary! Peter probably wouldn’t have done much better if he had to fight them head on.

It would be wrong if Flash lost everything over this. It would also make him insufferable at school. He’d totally take everything out on Peter! Augh! Nooo!

Peter rolls to his side and ducks under the covers. That’s enough thinking for now. Besides, he has school tomorrow. And there’s a quiz in Chemistry. He’ll have to review with Ned at lunch...

Peter’s mind goes hazy as a slips into sleep. He distantly registers May coming in to toss a blanket over him, but he doesn’t stir much. He’s too busy dreaming about being a hero, a real hero.

It’s not so much of a dream anymore, now it’s an attainable goal.

Peter can’t wait to make it there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys! I really hope you like it! It’s short but important! There’s not much action this chapter because the last chap was filled with it, but now Peter has some confidence! Yay! I love all of your comments and I re read them when I post new chaps, so thank you guys! I’ll post again soon!


	11. Chapter 11

Peter tips his soda back and chugs down the last few sips, humming gratefully. Ned laughs as he crumples the can and tosses it to the trashcan, missing by a mile. But Peter just sticks his tongue out at him and stands to brush the crumbs off his clothes. 

Ned stops tinkering with his physics project to look at Peter suspiciously. “Are you leaving? Dude, you just finished your food, weren't you going to help me wire this thing?" He asks, gesturing at his half-assembled gear car.

Peter smiles at him and chuckles, "Don't worry, I'm going to help. I just want to run to the bathroom real quick.” He pauses to pick his can up off the floor and tosses it into the trash. “I've got a test next period so I won't have another chance till gym, and that would be a disaster!"

“Alright man, you do you. I'll finish attaching the engine and then we can finish the gear train, I have the model sketches in my bag."

“Alright, be back soon." Peter calls, ducking out of the lab. He whistles happily, practically skipping down the hall. He's had such a good day so far. He woke up to several more news stories covering the events of the ferry, and only one of them had said anything negative about Spider-man! It's great! Peter finally did something right, and it feels so good.

He heads towards the bathroom, pausing just as he passes through the doorway. He can hear someone sniffling inside, like they're crying. Peter cringes and looks around like the tiles will know what to do. This is literally his worst nightmare. Does he go in and comfort the poor dude? Does he leave and pretend this never happened? How would he even-

“M-Mr. Stark, Tony, P-Please. Just pick up the phone. I know I messed up. I was just try-trying to help. I can be better please. You won't find someone else like me. I'll be a great hero, Tony I'm sorry." There's the sound of a stall door opening and then running water. Peter stands frozen in shock, mouth hanging open. That's Flash. Flash, the big, egotistical hero, was just crying in the bathroom.

Oh no. This isn't good. He's totally in trouble with Iron man. Peter feels his gut twist with empathy. He knows how that feels, to have your idol tear you apart. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, even Flash.  He sighs and brings a hand up to tug at his hair. What should he do? Wait, when did the water stop running?

Peter stares in horror and Flash rounds the corner, dabbing at his slightly puffy eyes. When he sees Peter, he jolts to a stop. His expression twists first with embarrassment, then anger. Flash stalks up to him and grabs him roughly by the shirt, throwing him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“What the f*ck Parker." He pushes Peter flat on the ground and gets on top of him, slamming his hands into Peter's chest. "What do you think you're doing? This is a new low, even for you. What kind of worthless piece of trash are you? Huh? Don't you get enough sob stories living with your broken family? you better forget this ever happened. Not a word Penis, or I'll end you."

Flash stands and glares down at him with red-rimmed eyes. His heart twists painfully with resentment and pity. "Flash, I'm sorry that you're arguing with Mr. Stark, if you want to talk about it-" He's cut off by a foot against his throat.

Flash is breathing heavily, letting out angry puffs of breath. His eyes burn holes through Peter. "You don't know anything, nothing! We're not even arguing. He took everything. He gave me everything I ever wanted and just ripped it away like it was nothing. You might understand how it feels Parker, to lose everything you care about, but that doesn't give you the right to talk to me like you know my situation. You're just a sh*tty nobody. So shut your pathetic mouth before I shut it for you." his foot presses down harder and Peter gasps, lifting a hand to rip the other boy's leg away.

Before he can reach it, Flash is gone. Storming down the hall with heavy footfalls and whispered curses. Peter sits up slowly and raises a hand to his neck. That'll leave a nasty bruise. He pushes against the wall and stands shakily. He stares blankly at the wall with blurred vision, jumping when a tear hits his cheek.

Suddenly he's choking on tears and sobbing into his hands. The muffled noises echo against the walls of the room, bouncing back into his ears like screams. He rips his hands away from his face and stumbles out of the bathroom. His feet carry him down the halls. He doesn't even know where he's going. He can't see through the tears pouring down his cheeks and he tries to wipe them away with the sleeves of his jacket. It doesn't help.

His body slams into someone and knocks them to the ground. Peter falls down next to them and tries to apologize between the gasps pouring from him.

“Peter? Oh my gosh! What happened? Are you okay, Peter?" It's Liz's voice. He feels a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. He jumps and the touch is gone. "Pete, do you need help? Should I go get a teacher?" She asks, voice dripping with concern.

He shakes his head and reaches out to her, tugging lightly at her hand when she goes to stand. "It's- It's alright Liz. I'm fine. I just had a run in with Flash. It's nothing." He says.

She knees next to him again and looks him over, frowning deeply. "You're not okay, this isn't okay! I can't believe him. Don't listen to what he says Peter, all he is is a petty jerk."

“No, it's not all him this time. He's having a rough day and I just caught him at the wrong time."

“That's not a good enough excuse. Everyone has bad days, that doesn't mean we can take it out on others. Come on, let's go to the office. You can call your aunt to excuse you for the day. Don't worry, I'll get your homework and give it to Ned."

Peter smiles brightly at her, sniffling a bit and grabbing her hand to let her pull him up. "Thanks Liz."

“It's not a problem, let's go call you out."

By the time Liz finally leaves him alone, Peter has calmed down considerably. He slumps down on the uncomfortable chair in the office and sighs. His aunt should be here soon.

He feels awful. Flash is such a jerk, but he can’t blame him this time. Yeah, Liz is right, what he did wasn’t okay, but he’s probably having such a sucky day. 

All Peter had been thinking about all day was how nice people were being to Spider-Man on social media. He hadn’t even considered how Flash would be dealing with this. Almost every story released so far had berated Flash for failing, dragging his name through the mud.

One reporter said it was a miracle that Stark industries hadn’t called a press conference to rescind Flash’s status as heir to the company.

They’re all being unbelievably harsh, in Peter’s opinion. Could any of them have done what Flash did? Nope. Being a hero is hard. He knows that, more so than others. All of this bad press is probably getting to Flash. He’s never had to deal with it before. 

Peter’s jerked out of his thoughts when his Aunt rushes into the room, pulling him into a hug. He melts into her arms and hugs her back tightly. 

He can worry about Flash later, it’s been a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I got to see endgame the other night! That was painful! I cried so much honestly ugh. But it was beautiful and the angst inspired me so here's another chapter! I hope you like it! Thank you so much for all of the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you like it so far! Please let me know if you want to read more!


End file.
